Harbour Rock LLC

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the owner of a nationwide wholesaler and distributor of spa parts that sells to dealerships and service centers.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Harbour Rock LLC?

We hired them to strengthen our financial visibility and apply best practices to our accounting and financial reporting. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Harbour Rock LLC came in to set up my company’s financial accounts from scratch since I had acquired the company two months prior. I brought my bookkeepers with me during an initial meeting, and we laid out what needed to be completed by the end of the engagement. Harbour Rock LLC was going to assist with setting up accounting charts, beginning balances, and standard financial procedures. 

What is the team composition?

I only worked with one teammate. 

How did you come to work with Harbour Rock LLC?

I found Harbour Rock LLC through an advisor who had worked with a teammate from Harbour Rock LLC. However, the advisor’s reference had mixed feedback — they said their team hadn’t always delivered on time. Before our engagement, they also said that if something we needed fell outside their skills, they would communicate it to us in advance. I ended up hiring them because their team appeared to be professional and I didn’t need to turn the project around quickly. 

How much have you invested with them?

In total, the cost was about $25,000 plus additional recurring fees for the three months of contracted work. 

What is the status of this engagement?

I worked with Harbour Rock LLC from October–November 2021.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Harbour Rock LLC lived up to my low expectations, and I eventually terminated our relationship. Their behavior wasn’t very professional. 

How did your relationship with the vendor evolve?

Harbour Rock LLC had some issues with our expected scope of work, but never communicated that with me. Instead, they stopped meeting deadlines and rarely responded to my messages. I would have been open to changing the scope if they had communicated their grievances with me — all they did was make excuses.

Once, Harbour Rock LLC had issues pulling data from our ERP but never communicated the problem to us. It could have been a quick fix, but instead, the issue compounded and our project was delayed.

They also often postponed meetings with little notice. They failed to make any progress on my project and weren’t keeping track of anything. I then took over the project management, and I kept track of everything in Google Calendar. 

Is there anything that the vendor did well or that you would consider a strength?

The teammate we worked with was smart and had a solid financial background. 

In what specific areas can they improve?

I was very disappointed with their unprofessional behavior and poor communication. Harbour Rock LLC’s team wasn’t very transparent in their work. They couldn’t balance multiple clients or prioritize work — they forgot to deliver key parts of the project. Harbour Rock LLC’s failings really compounded over time.  

I don’t think Harbour Rock LLC ever took notes or paid attention to what I asked for in our meetings. Their team couldn’t analyze the numbers to deliver instructions on how to move forward with our financial setup, which can usually be done quickly by a knowledgeable accountant. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d advise customers to do their due diligence and investigate any company they plan to hire.